Urban Ecology in Cape Town: South African Comparisons and Reflections

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Little urban ecological research has been done in South Africa. The papers in the Ecology and Society special feature Urban Ecological and Social-Ecological Research in the City of Cape Town make, therefore, an important contribution to the development of urban ecology locally and globally. Different approaches have been used in the study of urban ecology of different urban areas in South Africa. Cape Town is situated in a biodiversity hotspot and is the only South African city which includes a national park. As a result the urban ecological studies were mainly driven by urban nature conservation concerns. In other cities such as Durban, open space planning and environmental management were the major issues which focused ecological studies on urban areas whereas other studies of urban areas in the Eastern Cape and North-West provinces included private and public open spaces and man-made habitats. We reflect on the Cape Town studies in a South African context and highlight conservation of biodiversity, protection of ecosystem services, management of control measures, and the conflict between humans and nature. A brief synthesis has also been given of South African urban ecological research in general.

Postcolonial nature conservation in practice: the everyday challenges of on-ground urban nature conservation, Cape Town, South Africa

“…Dominated by ecologists and botanists, these statements reflect the primary narratives of biodiversity uniqueness, loss and threat, which permeate Cape Town's conservation management literature (e.g. Anderson and O'Farrell 2012;Cilliers and Siebert 2012;Holmes et al 2012b;Petersen et al 2012;Rebelo et al 2011). Analysis of this literature produces important insights in relation to top-down management perspectives, including about urban and conservation spatial planning, strategic biodiversity assessments, and conservation policy.…”

Comanagement at the Fringes: Examining Stakeholder Perspectives at Macassar Dunes, Cape Town, South Africa--at the Intersection of High Biodiversity, Urban Poverty, and Inequality

“…2). The Macassar Dunes are identified within the City's Biodiversity Network as a core conservation site for the Cape Flats area (City of Cape Town 2007; and see Cilliers and Siebert 2012 regarding the Biodiversity Network). The Wolfgat Nature Reserve boasts 178 plant species, including a protected stand of endangered White Milkwood trees (Sideroxlyon inerme) (Cape Flats Nature 2010).…”

Urban Ecological and Social-Ecological Research in the City of Cape Town: Insights Emerging from an Urban Ecology CityLab

“…In many respects this is a complex love-hate relationship, but one that must persist for the resilience of the City in the face of future global change (Cartwright et al 2012). Cilliers and Siebert (2012) reflect on the empirical findings in the broader context of urban ecological research in South Africa, clearly demonstrating the contribution this Special Feature makes to a growing body of work. They note too where research in Cape Town may be missing opportunities and in particular note the dominating force of the Cape's high biodiversity in driving a Ecology and Society 17(4): 23 http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol17/iss4/art23/ particular research agenda.…”

“…New conceptual areas worthy of exploration are numerous, but some of the outstanding City-scale questions would relate to types of management of urban ecosystems that may protect biodiversity, generate multiple ecosystem services and at the same time contribute to both mitigation and adaption to climate change and, in contrast, analyze under which conditions and types of management where such synergies are difficult or impossible. Numerous opportunities for new collaborative and comparative work are evident (Cilliers and Siebert 2012) and the way ahead for urban ecological research in South Africa is wide open.…”

“…Where collaborations are strongest they appear to emerge in response to issue-driven engagements, and are generally happening between practitioners in the City of Cape Town who actively seek research input from Government research entities such as South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) or the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Cilliers and Siebert (2012) remind us that true transdisciplinary engagement both between disciplines and across sectors is necessary to forward an urban ecology research agenda and see it embedded into planning processes.…”